Men's Marathon Record Shattered

Kenyan runner Patrick Makau shattered the world record for the men's marathon yesterday in Berlin, chopping 21 seconds from the previous best time, reports Reuters. With temperatures around 72 degrees, Makau ran the race in 2:03:38. "This is the greatest day of my running life," said the 26-year-old, whose previous best was 2:04:48. "When I woke up today my body didn't feel very good," but around the 15-mile mark, "I felt I could break the world record."

The Berlin course has a long been a fast one for marathoners, as the men's record has been broken five times on it over the years. The women's marathon was also won by a Kenyan, Florence Kiplagat, who ran it in 2:19:44, in her first completed marathon. (More marathon stories.)